Cleaning tool for tubes



June7, 1949. c. E. COURNOY-ER ETAL 2,472,093

CLEANING TOOL FOR TUBES I Filed Jan. 1a, 1946 INVENTORS -l 4 Char/es E. Coumoger BY Robe/"f A harm/1 ATTORNEY Patented June 7, 1949 CLEANING TOOLrFOR TUBES Charles E. Cournoyer, Pcrt'was'liington, and :Robert R. Charr0n, New York, NJ'Y.

Application January 16, 1946, Serial $10,641,552

(Cl. IS -"4) {Granted under the act of' March. 3, ,.18 83,- as amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 O.,'.G. 757) 5 Claims.

1 The-ipresentinvention concerns a-tool for swab- ,bing a bore surface, and particularly concerns a .tool for :swabbing the bore surface of a torpedo .tube.

In..cleanin theinternalbore of a torpedo tube aiter ..firing .operations and during subsequent -;overhauling, or in cleaning preservative solutionlfrom-the-bore of a torpedo tube which has been previously cleaned and preserved, it is necessary to apply cleaning solution uniformly over the entire surface of the bore to loosen the dirt or preservativesolutionand then to remove thematerial to leave a clean surface. Similarly in lubricating or preservinga torpedo tube it is necessary to apply lubricating or preserving fluid uni- 'formly over the entire surface of the bore, and then to remove the excess fluid to leave a uni- .form thin coating.

(It is customary both in applying and removing fi-uidrelative to a torpedo-tube bore to use a swabbing .tool consistingof a long handle having on-one end aswabbing-elernent such as, for ex- -.arnple, a tuft ofrags. The-swabbing element end of the toolris inserted into the bore and by means inf the handle an operator manipulates the swab portion ofthe tool over the entire surface of the bore.- "Such manual use of a conventional :swabbing tool has proven unsatisfactory in several respects.

' It has been found difficult andoften impossible properly to manipulate the tool so that all areas of the boresurface are swabbed uniformly. This is especially true in relatively :long bores where inordinate length of the tool handle renders manipulation difficult, and where it is difiicult to seethe remote areas being treated. These difl'lculties have. resulted in poor cleaning operations. Furthermore, since-the quality ofthe cleaning pperation depends upon thedexter-i-ty of the individual operaton it is apparent that'the results produced by-different operators vary and the resu l-ts-achievedeven -by-the same operator on 'difierentcleaning jobs will vary. A further objec'tion has arisen becauseof the excessive amount :of time and. labor involved in performingthe .swabbing operation'as well as the increased time and labor required from inspectors in detecting and rejecting unsatisfactory cleaning jobs resulting -from unsatisfactory cleaning operations.

The swabb'ing tool that forms a preferredrembodiment of the inventionovercomes thesedefects by achieving the iollowing objects.

Anobject of the invention .is toprovide a swabmaybe manipulated relative to a .2 'bOI EJSDrlShat all areas of the -bore surface are uniformly swabbed.

Anotherobiectis to :provide a swabbing tool that. 'is so constructed that if malfunctioning of the tool-ocoursduring operation, the tool will fracture-or break before damage such as scarring or mar-ringiof the bore surface occurs thus insur- .ing-safety-of operation and precluding possibility 0f .-.damage to. the bore surface by the malfunctioning .tool.

-Another object is to provide a swabbing tool that, is designedisc that the swabbing element is arranged. for circumferential and longitudinal swabbing .motion on the bore surface, and. these :motionsmay be..com'bined to afiect any type of swabbinglmotion desired.

. Another-object is toprovide a swabbing tool for usejin relatively longcylindrical bores which com- .prises a relatively long handle having a disc shaped -swabb'in'g element at one end arranged 'foraotaryand reciprocating motion and a radial supporting-element on the handle for retaining the latter in the. line of the longitudinal axis of the bore during operation and to prevent whipping and vibration in the handle during operation.

. Further objects and advantages of this invention, asw'll as its construction, arrangement and operation, will be apparent from the following description and claims in "connection with the accompanying. drawing, in which,

Fig. 'lis'a longitudinal sectional view of a prererredembodiment of the invention illustrated as beinguse'd for cleaning a torpedo tube,

Fig. 2 "is 'a fragmentary cross-sectional View taken along. line 2,2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is'an-elevational v'iew'of theswab holding disc whenseen as viewed from the right of Fig. 1, and

"Fig. 4 is afragmentary sectional view similar toFig; '2 -=showing a modified form of the invention.

In'theurawing there is shown a torpedo tube liner l-which iS the 'form of a cylindrical shell and provi dedtvith a cylindrical 'lcore I2. Formed longitudinally in the top of liner "I l is a T-shaped grooversit having a stem portion It and a crosshea'd rpor 't'ion l'fi swabb'in'gzrtool .l srcomprises a shaft 11. with threads t8 at one' end -and at the other end provide'dwwith a shank portion l9 which maybe coupled with a suitable source of power (not shown) or-swhich may beused as a handle for manual ioperation by an operator to efiect rota- .itionlandsrcciprccation oi'athetool during a clean ing operation. Shaft Il may be formed of metal or any other suitable material.

Mounted transversely on the threaded end of shaft I! is a swab holder disc which may be formed of plywood or any other suitable material. Disc 20 is fitted over threads I8 and is reinforced centrally on opposite faces thereof by brace plates 2I and 22 which may be formed of metal. Disc 29 and brace plates 2| and 22 are locked together rigidly upon threads I8 by means of lock nuts 23 and 24 so that disc 29 will rotate with shaft I'l. Mounted peripherally on one face of disc 26 are multiple swab clamps 25 each of which consists of a U-shaped portion 26 and legs 21 which are secured to disc 20 by means of screws 28.

Removably mounted on disc 20 by means of clamps 25 are multiple swab elements 29 which may be formed of rags or other suitable material. Swabbing elements 29 are tightly held in place by clamps 25 and are arranged to protrude beyond the periphery of disc 20 into contact with torpedo tube bore surface I2.

Mounted on shaft I'I adjacent disc 20 is a hanger 39 consisting of a collar 3| which fits loosely over shaft IT, a radially extending web portion 32 integral with collar 3I and a T-head 33 formed integrally at the outer end of web 32. The opposite ends of head 33 are beveled to provide parallel faces 34 and 35 and to provide scraping edges 36 and 31. Scrapin edge 36 is formed along the radially outward surface 38 of T-head 33 while scraping surface 31 is formed along the radially inward surface 39 of T-head 33. T-head 33 is adapted to slide within groove I3 formed in torpedo tube liner II with T-head 33 disposed in portion I5 of the groove and web 32 extending through portion I4 of the groove.

Slidably mounted on shaft I? is a stop collar 40 which may be locked rigidly to shaft I! in any desired position by set screw 4!. Collar 49 serves to limit the movement of hanger 30 on shaft I! in a direction away from disc 20.

Mounted on shaft I'I between collar 49 and shank I9 is a second hanger 42 comprising collar 43, web 44 and T-head 45 having scraping edges 45 and 41. Preferably, hanger 42 is mounted on shaft I! so that scraping edges 46 and 41 are in reversed position with respect to scraping edges 36 and 31 of hanger 30. That is, scraping edge 36 of hanger 30 which is in the top of groove I3 faces toward disc 20 whereas scraping edge 46 of hanger 42 which is in the top of groove I3 faces away from disc 20. The relative arrangement of hangers 34 and 42 on shaft I1 is optional.

In Fig. 4 is shown a modified embodiment of the invention. Parts which are similar to those described in connection with Figs. 1-3 have been given identical reference characters and those parts which distinguish from Figs. 1-3 and will now be described.

A cylindrical shell 48 is shown as having a bore surface 49 which is not provided with a groove similar to groove 53 of Fig. 2. Hanger 56 comprises a collar 5| fitting loosely about shaft I'l and provided with oppositely extending webs 52 and 53, terminating in T-heads 54 and 55 which are adapted to engage bore surface 49 and which may be similar in design to T-head 33 of hanger 38 shown in Fig. 1 and thus serve as scrapers for bore 49.

Operation of the swabbing tool will now be described. The preferred form of swabbing tool I6 is prepared for use by tightening collar 40 in the desired position on shaft I! so that hanger 30 may be allowed optimum range of movement on shaft II away from disc 20. The position of collar 43 will depend upon the length of shaft I1 and the degree of insertion of tool I5 into bore 12. Swab elements 29 are then inserted into clamps 25. T-heads 33 and 45 of hangers 30 and 42 respectively are inserted into groove I3 of torpedo tube liner II. Swabbing tool I6 is then coupled by shank I9 to a power source (not shown) such as a pneumatic power unit or shank i9 may be gripped as a handle for manual control by an operator.

Tool I6 is then operated either manually or by a power source to cause rotation and reciprocation of shaft I1 and this in turn causes rotation and reciprocation of swabbing elements 29 to cause swabbing of the desired areas of bore surface I2. By combinin the rotary and reciprocating motions of tool I6 any desired motion of swabbing elements 29 may be effected. If it is desired to apply a liquid solution to bore surface I2, such solution may be applied to swab elements 29 or spilled on the bore surface I2 so that manipulation of tool I6 will spread such a cleaning solution as a film upon bore surface I2.

During such operation, reciprocation of shaft 5'! will cause hangers 30 and 42 to slide relative to torpedo tube liner II so that scraping edges 35 and 45 respectively, will scrape the top of groove I3 while scraping edges 3'! and 41 scrape the bottom of groove I3. With hangers 30 and 62 disposed as shown in Fig. 1 with the scraping edges in reversed relation it will be seen that both the top and bottom of groove I3 will be scraped regardless of the direction of reciprocation of hangers 33 and 42. Thus, for example, if movement is toward disc 26 the upper surface of groove I3 will be scraped by scraping edge 36, whereas if movement is away from disc 20, upper surface of groove l3 will be scraped by scrapin edge 46. Such scraping action tends to clean the surface of groove I3 and in addition serves to detect any burrs or other defects in the walls of groove I3 since the scraping edges of hangers 30 and 42 catch upon such defects which may then be readily located by an operator. In addition to the scraping and detecting functions of T-heads 33 and 45 hangers 3G and 42 respectively serve to support and guide shaft I1 along the axis of bore I 2 and in addition serve to prevent whipping and vibration of shaft I'I during operation.

Due to the loose fit of collars 3| and 43 upon shaft [1 any minor local bunching or jamming of swab elements 29 or any other minor malfunctioning of tool I6 may be automatically corrected by rocking of shaft I! with respect to collars 3| and 43 and consequent wobbling of disc 26.

Major malfunctioning of tool l5, however, of such magnitude that it is not automatically selfcorrecting will cause breaking of disc 20 under the force of manipulation of tool I6 and thus prevent damage of bore surface l2 by scarring from the malfunctioning tool.

Operation of the modified form of tool shown in Fig. 4 is similar to that just described except that T-heads 54 and 55 of hanger 50 are disposed in sliding contact with bore surface 49 instead of being disposed within a groove such as groove I3 shown in Figure 2. T-heads 54 and 55 in operation serve to scrape bore surface 49 to clean same and to detect any burrs thereon while collar 51 of hanger 50 serves to support guide shaft I1 along the longitudinal axis 49 and prevent whip.-

ping and vibration of shaft l1. While use of the swabbing tool of this invention has been described in connection with cylindrical bores, it will be appreciated that bores having cross-sections of various shapes may be cleaned with equal efficiency.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made in this invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as set forth in the appended claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for swabbing a longitudinal bore surface formed internally of a body comprising a relatively long shaft having at one end a shank.

adapted for connection to a source of power for actuating said shaft and at its other end having rigidly attached thereto a transverse member having a periphery, multiple clamps mounted peripherally on said member, multiple swabbing elements detachably secured to said member by said clamps, said swabbing elements being mounted to protrude beyond the periphery of said member, a hanger disposed adjacent said member for supporting said shaft centrally relative to the bore comprising a collar fitting loosely about said shaft, a radially extending web formed integrally with said collar and a longitudinally extending T-head formed integrally with the end of said web remote from said collar and adapted for contact with the body, said T-head having scraping edges formed on opposite ends thereof, and an adjustable collar on said shaft disposed on the side of the hanger opposite from the transverse member and adapted to be locked to said shaft to limit the distance said hanger collar may other end having rigidly attached thereto a transverse disc of diameter less than the bore of the torpedo tube and adapted to be rotated and reciprocated with said shaft within the torpedo tube, multiple clamps mounted peripherally on said disc, multiple swabbing elements detachably secured to said disc by said clamps, said swabbing elements being mounted to protrude beyond the periphery of said disc and being adapted to contact the torpedo tube bore surface, a hanger disposed adjacent said disc for supporting said shaft centrally relative to the torpedo tube cornprising a collar fitting loosely about said shaft, a radially extending web formed integrally with said collar and a longitudinally extending T-head formed integrally with the end of said web remote from said collar, said T-head being adapted for sliding engagement in a longitudinal T- shaped slot formed in the torpedo tube, said T-head having front and rear ends which are bevelled to provide parallel faces and form front and rear scraping edges with the scraping edge on one of said faces formed on the radially outward surface of said T-head and the scraping edge on the other of said faces formed on the radially inward surface of the T-head, an ads c- O justable collar on said shaft disposed on the side of the hanger opposite from the transverse disc and adapted to be locked to said shaft to limit the distance said hanger collar may slide relative to said shaft in a direction away from said disc.

3. A tool for swabbing a longitudinal bore surface formed internally of a body comprising a relatively long shaft having at one end a shank adapted for connection to a source of power for actuating said shaft and at its other end having rigidly attached thereto a transverse member having a periphery, multiple clamps mounted peripherally on said member, multiple swabbing elements detachably secured to said member by said clamps, said swabbin elements being mounted to protrude beyond the periphery of said member, a hanger disposed adjacent said member for supporting said shaft centrally relative to the bore comprising a collar fitting loosely about said shaft, a radially extending web formed integrally with said collar and a longitudinally extending T-head formed integrally with the end of said web remote from said collar and adapted for contact with the body, said T-head having scraping edges formed on opposite ends thereof, an adjustable collar on said shaft disposed on the side of the hanger opposite from the transverse member and adapted to be locked to said shaft to limit the distance said hanger collar may slide relative to said shaft in a direction away from said member, and a second hanger similar to said first hanger and disposed on said shaft on the side of said adjustable collar away from said first hanger.

4. A tool comprising a shaft, a transverse member attached to one end of said shaft, a clamp mounted on said member and adapted to hold detachably a swab and so positioned that such swab is operative at a predetermined distance from the axis of said shaft, and a hanger for supporting said shaft and freely movable longitudinally of said shaft and comprising an element positioned radially a predetermined distance from said axis greater than the first-mentioned distance, said element being provided with scraping edges at the extremity remote from said shaft.

5. A tool comprising a shaft, a transverse member attached to one end of said shaft, a clamp mounted on said member and adapted to hold detachably a swab and so positioned that such swab is operative at a predetermined distance from the axis of said shaft, and a hanger for supporting said shaft and freely movable longitudinally of said shaft and comprising an element positioned radially a predetermined distance from said axis, said element being provided with scraping edges at the extremity remote from said shaft.

CHARLES E. COURNOYER. ROBERT R. CHARRON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 232,406 Lamb Sept. 21, 1880 1,154,390 Foster Sept. 21, 1915 1,278,453 Frank Sept. 10, 1918 1,346,643 Espeland July 13, 1920 2,038,004 Russell Apr. 21, 1936 2,161,028 Dubosclard June 6, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 417,180 Germany Aug. '7, 1925 

